Bill to review minimum wage passes second reading

A bill  to review the minimum wage act has been sponsored by Femi Gbajabiamila,the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives.The bill seeks a compulsory review of the National Minimum Wage every five years. The proposal was contained in a bill to amend the National Minimum Wage Act, 2004, which passed second reading on the floor of the House in Abuja.

When passed, it sets in motion a process for government and organised labour to commence discussions on review of wages every five years.

According to the lawmaker the  bill would address the frequent protests over poor wages and the unwillingness of employers, particularly the government, to raise wages.

He recalled the acrimonious relationship between workers and government years back before the current minimum wage of N18,000 was agreed upon between labour and the authorities.
The bill was supported by Hon Tobi Okechukwu,who said that “This bill is talking about certainty in wage reviews It means that workers will no longer have to protest over wages when they know that there is a periodic review backed by law.”
The bill passed second reading in a unanimous voice vote.